University of North Carolina Athletics

1. Somehow they did it. Carolina fought back all the way to win a game they had to win, outlasting UCLA 76-74.

2. Ian Jackson had 24 points while playing in front of the home team at Madison Square Garden, going an efficient 8-for-13 from the field. Combined with RJ Davis With 17 points, the two New York Carolinas scored 41 of the 76 points in the game.

3. UCLA is a very good defensive team that forces a lot of turnovers. But the Tar Heels were still too generous in the first half, making 11 errors that led to too many easy UCLA points. Carolina took better care of the ball in the second half, scoring just seven goals.

4. But the deciding point of the game was a UCLA turnover – and they had 15 in the game. Since Mick Cronin’s team arrived with 22.2 seconds left, a Seth Trimble–Drake Powell The trap resulted in the Bruins kicking the ball out of bounds. Carolina used the possession to draw a foul RJ Davis– he managed both and gave the Heels their first lead since 2-0.

5. Carolina was much better defensively in the final minutes. They only allowed one field goal in the final (8:57). Incredible play on defense to win the game.

6. Sales become a problem for Elliot Cadeau. The sophomore had five on Saturday. This is the sixth time in the last seven games that he has been called up at least four times.

7. Interesting flyby Hubert Davis comes out of the halftime locker room after a frustrating first half. The Tar Heels began the crucial final 20 minutes with a quintet RJ DavisCadeau, Jackson, Trimble and Ty Claude. That’s two changes to the starting lineup and a set of four. The move underscored the frustration the Heels felt with their stoppage-time performance – Claude was given the opening assignment for the second half despite failing to attempt a field goal and not grab a rebound in seven minutes of the first half. However, Davis has always said that Claude plays hard and gets the best results on the team. That would have been a somewhat unexpected move, but a long delay early in the second half after an on-field player became ill allowed UCLA to plan for it. In the end it was only a temporary change as Claude only played six minutes in the second half.

8. The first half was not artistically appealing. Carolina shot 37.5 percent from the field and 62.5 percent from the free throw line while turning the ball over 11 times. The shooting numbers would have been even worse without Jackson, who made 4 of 7 from the field and 2 of 3 at the line for his 13 first-half points. The rest of the Tar Heels went 5 for 17 in the first 20 minutes. Just 10 made free throws kept the halftime deficit at 40-32.

9. Carolina struggled to defend Sebastian Mack in this first half, as he scored 16 points in 13 minutes and made or assisted on seven of UCLA’s last eight field goals.

10. The Heels continue to bounce back from committee. Five different players had at least four rebounds in the game as UNC defeated UCLA 34-28. They also limited the Bruins to just two second-chance points while Carolina scored 13.

11. For the first time on Saturday, the Tar Heels wore the blue version of their throwback 1980s jerseys, and here’s the truth: They looked really good. Carolina doesn’t have a bad looking uniform, but there’s just something special about this one.

12. The destination for next year’s CBS Sports Classic has not yet been officially announced. The Tar Heels are now 7-4 overall and 3-0 against UCLA in those matchups (in what was supposed to be a regular rotation, the Heels faced Kentucky five times in this event and then Ohio State and UCLA three times). every).

13. Depending on flight availability, some Tar Heels will now fly out of New York for a short break at home over the holidays. The Tar Heels will gather again in Chapel Hill on the night of Dec. 26 to begin preparations for Campbell on Dec. 29, and then the full ACC slate begins Jan. 1 in Louisville.